Long-distance paragliders launching from Manilla near Tamworth have been landing as far as Brewarrina Shire as dry spells across the west provide ideal conditions for the sport.   

Hotter ground is creating rising warm air columns called thermals, which allow gliders to rise higher and stay airborne for longer.

One man flew 333 kilometres from Manilla's Mount Borah on 16 February to land about 40 kilometres west of the town and claim the furthest voyage so far in the open category for the 2026 Australian XContest.

Brisbane-based Félix Alary (24) and Hammed Malik (56) also landed about 65 kilometres north of Coonamble on Saturday 28 February.

"It's the first time I flew that far. I more than doubled my personal best," Félix said.

"If we just did 100 kilometre, we would have someone that would have retrieved us, but we went so far that people didn't want to get out too much of their way."

Matthias Kuhn currently holds the claim to the longest paraglider distance travelled in the 2026 Australian XContest. The image above tracks his over-eight-hour flight ending in Brewarrina. SOURCE: XContest

The pair, who call themselves the Can Bros, walked to a nearby rural property, where a worker offered to drive them to Coonamble for the night.

Manilla has proved the place to be for gliders.

The area features high in online charts for the furthest flights this year, while paragliding school Fly Manilla reported on 28 February that dozens of local and visiting pilots have broken personal records.

Unlike hang gilders, which use a rigid frame, paragliders use a foldable wing that, in Felix's case, can fit into a backpack.

"That was the best day of my life," Félix said.

"When we are out in the day in the outback and there's nothing around us, we really rely on other people and we make really great connections.

"As long as the conditions are good, I try to go."

Gliding over the dry western plains. IMAGE SUPPLIED.